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USC’s Martin voted Pac-12 beach volleyball scholar-athlete of the year

SAN FRANCISCO - USC's Nicolette Martin was named the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Conference office announced on Wednesday. The award, which is presented in each of the 23 sports the Conference sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

A team captain on the No. 1 team in the country, Martin is a fine arts major with a 3.70 grade point average. She was a first team Pac-12 All-Academic honoree last year and is a USC Marks scholar. On the court, she helped the Trojans win the first-ever Pac-12 and NCAA titles last year, also helping the team win the AVCA national crown in 2015.

A two-time Pac-12 Pair of the Week winner, she had the distinction of being half of the first-ever pair to be honored with the weekly award last year. Martin has won 120 career matches with several different partners and has 91 all-time wins with partner Allie Wheeler, which ranks second in USC history.

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be seniors (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport, and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.

Martin and the rest of the Trojans are preparing to defend their Conference crown this week at the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championships which begins Thursday, April 27 on the campus of the University of Arizona. Admission is free for the event.